Moore:Reagan made me fat

Michael Moore talks about his weight problem.

In typical Moore fashion, it has to be someone else's fault: you know, the greedy corporations that made the cheap, starchy fast food that Moore was forced to eat during his rough times of unemployment in the '80's:

I grew up in a Midwestern industrial city: Flint, Michigan. If you were to fly there today, get off the plane, and walk out of the airport, you would say to me, "Mike, you're one of the skinniest people here." I wasn't an overweight kid, but in the mid to late 1980s I was collecting unemployment, about $99 a week. When you are on such a low income, you end up eating foods that are cheap, fast and starchy because they fill you up. I put on the bulk of my weight during that time, and it didn't come off. I've read everything and done all the things everybody does. Then I started to think, "Maybe I should put all these diet books away." My sister gave me Fit from Within, and it's made me think that instead of starting on the outside appearance—you know, the pants size—what if I just forget about that? I read a chapter a day. I love the one titled "Get Up, Get Dressed, Get Going." I've started to do some of the things the book suggests. I think it's important that we take care of ourselves mentally and physically. All the things I want to do, well, they don't mean anything if I'm not here to do them. This life is a gift, and to reject that gift or abuse that gift is not human and not worthy of us.

There are several things wrong here.

First, there is no way in hell that Micheal Moore could ever be considered the one of the skinniest people in Flint, Michigan (where Moore says, falsely, that he grew up). That's just impossible.

Second, when Moore made "Roger and Me" in the late '80's, his weight was still reasonable: his weight has ballooned since he became rich and moved to his pricey suite in Manhattan.

Third, there is no explanation why an unemployed Moore had to eat "fast" starchy food. I mean, he was unemployed and he had plenty of time. And beans, fruits and vegetables are, believe it or not, much cheaper than a box of Ho-Ho's.

But no, Moore sticks by his story: Reagan got me fat.

Thanks to the Southern Conservative for the quotes and analysis.
- posted by total @ 8/17/2004 05:01:00 AM .